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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | No BPL or APL for sanitation scheme: Ramesh by K Balchand

No BPL or APL for sanitation scheme: Ramesh by K Balchand

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published Published on Feb 16, 2012   modified Modified on Feb 16, 2012

The Centre plans to remove the distinction between below poverty line (BPL) and above poverty line (APL) and bring all the needy under the Total Sanitation Scheme (TSC). It would be renamed as Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan to send home the message that its implementation would be a people's movement rather than a bureaucratic programme.

The new scheme will be part of the structural changes to be introduced from April. Union Minister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh, who also holds the portfolio of Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation, on Tuesday made a presentation on the changes proposed before the full Planning Commission.

Mr. Ramesh said the sanitation scheme would cover all needy people since 60 per cent of the population was defecating in the open. This practice was derogatory to the dignity of women and posed a danger to their security. He maintained that India would be freed of the practice within 10 years.

The structural changes were proposed to carry forward the drinking water and sanitation campaign in the 12th Five-Year Plan which would see a significant increase in the outlay.

Increase in outlay

The current outlay of about Rs.11,000 crore was likely to be increased by about 40 to 60 per cent, Mr. Ramesh said, adding that more funds would be allocated for sanitation purposes.

The help of women self-help groups (SHGs) and civil society groups and banks would be engaged in a major way to provide toilets. People were willing to take loans to meet part of the cost for construction of toilets.

Toilet cost structure

Hence, the cost structure would include a part of government subsidy, individual's contribution and bank loan. Providing loan for sanitation purpose would be brought under the category of priority lending.

Terming the present cost of Rs.3,000 permitted under the TSC as “ridiculous,” Mr. Ramesh said the proposal was to increase it to reasonable levels of Rs.7,000 to Rs.10,000 per unit.

The objective is not only to scale down the targets but ensure full coverage and that would be done by shifting the focus from individual households to gram panchayats. There are only 25,000 nirmal gram panchayats so far out of the 2.5-lakh panchayats in the country.

Mr. Ramesh also held a meeting with all the NGOs attached with the sanitation campaign to seek their extended partnership in achieving the national goal.

Stressing that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had accepted his proposal, Mr. Ramesh said it was time the focus of spending was on social sectors which private players avoided rather than give bailout packages for commercial entities such as airliners and railways which were supposed to run their operations in a professional manner.


The Hindu, 16 February, 2012, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2898283.ece


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